Filling:

Berry Lemonade Bars | Easy Summer Recipe

These Berry Lemonade Bars are a simple and yummy recipe for the hot summer months! Who doesn’t love a good easy summer recipe?
One of my favorite parts of summer is the fresh veggies and berries that I can collect around my yard. Last year we planted a Berry Patch, even though we already had a ton of berry bushes around the property, I wanted more! And, I have plans this fall to plant another… But, now I have a problem, a good problem, but still a problem. I have a ton of frozen berries in my freezer from last year, and now it is time to harvest even more! So, it was time to pull out the frozen berries and make something yummy!
They have just the right amount of zing from the fresh lemon juice and the sweetness of all of the yummy berries that I used. For this recipe I used a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. You can use all different kinds, or stick to your favorite. I figured I might as well pack as many berries into it as I could that way I could make room for this years harvest.
This recipe would be perfect for a summer BBQ! I will be making some more for the 4th of July because these will not last long in our home… They are THAT good!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with Brownie Crust!

It is the Holiday season, which means that my hubby has work pot lucks all this week. It NEVER fails, I always get the assignment of making cheesecake…Every…Single…Time. Hubby said after this las lunch, there were tons of cheesecake left on the table, except mine. This cheesecake (as well as a few others I made) were gone within minutes. His coworkers refer to me as the “Cheesecake Lady”…lol To make these already yummy bars even better, I drizzled them with both a chocolate and a peanut butter ganache! This year, I wanted to give them some varity, so I made these yummy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with a brownie crust, and a also made a chocolate version as well. The Chocolate Cheesecake bars will be posted next week. No need for a cheesecake overload. I prefer to make cheesecake bars because they do not take forever to bake, and I do not have to water bathe them while baking, which is a total plus, since I only had 24 hour notice to make 60+ servings.

Preheat over to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment paper so that the edges overlap over the sides.

In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing very well after each addition. Add the flour and mix until combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Brownies should be slightly set, but not fully baked. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

(8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

/3 cup light brown sugar

large eggs, room temperature

/2 cup smooth peanut butter

teaspoon vanilla extract

/8 teaspoon salt

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and beat until just combined. Pour over the cooled brownie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Filling should be set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center. Allow to cool at room temperature on a cooling rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate to chill through.

Topping:

Heat whipping cream until it comes to a low boil. Place chocolate and peanut butter chips into two separate bowls and pour equal parts of the whipping cream into each bowl. Allow to set for 1 minute to melt chips.

Mix each bowl until each is well combined, allow to set for 5 minutes to thicken. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling!

I have not baked anything in a while. Mostly because it has been soooo darn hot lately! If I could not throw it on the grill, I refused to make it this week. But, sometimes you just need chocolate, and I had a crazy craving for chocolate cake and peanut butter cheesecake. Mt sweet tooth was going through major withdrawal, so I knew it was time to get something in the oven. I could not make up my mind on what to make so I decided to combine my cravings into a Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling! The rich chocolate cake and the creamy peanut butter filling was just what I needed. If you are new here, I have a total chocolate and peanut butter addiction, to the extent that I turn a normal breakfast into a chocolate lovers dream. The best part about this recipe is that the cheesecake filling is no bake, so it may look intimidating, but this recipe is super easy to make! Oh and to give it just a little bit more decadence, I frosted it in peanut butter frosting and covered it in a dark chocolate ganache! YUM!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9' inch cake pans and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until well combined. Slowly stir in boiling water.

Transfer batter to baking sheets and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Allow to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling time for the filling!

Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter. Fold in whipped topping.

To make this process easier, I like to use a 9 inch spring form. Place one cake into the bottom of the spring form pan and pour filling over top smoothing it out as you go. Place the second cake on top and gently press down so everything is nice and tight.

Refrigerate for 1 hour before removing and frosting.

Frosting:

In a small mixing bowl, beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter. Continue beating on low and add in vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth can creamy.

After cake has chilled, remove from spring form and frost!

Topping:

Bring heavy cream to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Allow chocolate to set and cool for 10 minutes before pouring over cake.

Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

I have admitted to my chocolate addiction, and that is the first step in facing an addiction. But, these Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls threw me right back into my addiction and I am perfectly okay with that. I have never understood how cinnamon rolls are classified as a breakfast food. They are super sweet and yummy, don’t get me wrong, but when I think of breakfast I think of something hardy like bacon and eggs. Unlike my oh so sweet Hubby who believes that if you put the word breakfast before something it makes it breakfast. Like breakfast cake and breakfast candy. No joke people…

So to satisfy his ever growing sweet tooth I took to Pinterest (of course, where else would I go?). I came across this recipe from Chef in Training for Cake Batter Cinnamon rolls. They looked amazing, but I knew the first thing Hubby would ask is “where is the chocolate”? So I opted to change it up a bit and do a chocolate version. These could easily be a breakfast or dessert in my opinion. And if there is a way to justify eating chocolate for breakfast I am all for it!

In a large mixing bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of warm water. Add in yeast and allow to proof (let it get foamy and bubbly).

Once yeast is ready, using your dough hook attachment, add in cake mix, vanilla and salt and mix until combined.

Combine instant coffee and bread flour together and add it to the mixer. Mix until dough has come together. Try to avoid over kneading the dough if at all possible.

Transfer dough to a large bowl sprayed with no stick cooking spray and toss dough to coat (this prevents the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled in size, punch down and allow to rise for an additional hour.

After second rise, turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Take the butter for the filling and smear across the dough.

Combine 1 cup of cake mix with 1 tbsp of instant coffee for the filling and sprinkle on top of butter.

Dust with as much or as little cinnamon as you would like.

Taking the longer side of the triangle, carefully roll dough into a long log. Slice into 1 inch rolls and place into a well greased 9x13 pan (you will need two of these pans).

Allow rolls to rise one final last time for 1 hour.

Bake at 250 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

While rolls are baking prepare your chocolate topping. In a small sauce pan heat heavy cream until it reaches boiling and remove from heat. Do not let it come to a full rolling boil. Mix is chocolate chips and completely melted.

Peanut Butter Pie Recipe!

I am a self proclaimed peanut butter addict, and this peanut butter pie recipe does not help my rehab. Seriously, I can sit down and eat an entire jar of peanut butter in one setting and not even feel guilty about it! With the weather FINALLY warming up, I wanted something that was light and fluffy and didn’t weight me down after eating the entire thing, and this recipe does just that!

It is super easy to make, and and if you are a peanut butter addict like me, you will be making it…. A LOT! Drizzle some chocolate over the top, and you have heaven in pie form.